Tire opinions

[Reaper1]

OK...after the road course event I am in need of some new tires. Had I not chewed the inner sidewall out of my left front I probably would be OK for the moment, but seeing as that isn't the case...I need new ones!

I am currently running the stock 15x6.5" Crabs on my car with Kumho 711 225/50/15 tires. They no longer make these(unfortunatly). If somebody knows of a CURRENT non-racing tire that is good in that size I'm listening.

Other than that I am seriously going after getting some Neon SRT-4 wheels(the 17" ones). The reson is that good tires are more easily found for that size wheel, and sometimes are even cheaper!

The car weighs around 2800#'s in road course trim. It sees a lot of highway duty and some drag, auto-x, and road course duty. I am trying to cut back on the amount of miles that is put on the car, so I can be a little leanient on the wear. I am fairly happy with the gearing of the car(using A555/A520 hybrid with 3.5 FD), but am not opposed to going with a slightly taller tire(using the 205/55/16 diameter equivalent). I don't know that I'll have room for something much larger than that as I'm already pretty close to the strut body and I don't have coil overs(yet).

I'd like opinions on sizes as well as brand/model for tires that will fit the SRT-4 wheels(17x6 IIRC). I'd like them to be fairly sticky(meaning summer ultra-high performance, or thereabouts) and have good manners for turning. I've lived with really noisy tires in the past....I'd like to not have to do that again if possible. Turning and stopping is my major prioities...I've yet to learn how to launch the thing, so straight line means dittly to me right now. I've done *some* shopping around online, but not much.

Please LMK your opinions and personal experiences if you have them. I'm partial to Kumho and Yokohama, but am not opposed to other brands.

Thanks for the input!

[Nemesismachine]

I have had very good luck with Sumitomo, and Yokohama. My TL type-S has a set of sumitomos on it now, very nice tires. I steer clear of Kuhmo after a run in with plastic Ecsta Supras. Worthless tires all around.

Gonna try these out on my GLH clone, when it gets up and running:
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...d=005966&ar=50

[Reaper1]

What type of driving did you primarily do?

[contraption22]

If you are going with a 17 inch wheel, I would avoid the OE SRT-4 wheels. They are a goofy 17x6 size, which means you are limited to a 205 tire. They are also fairly heavy.

If you must stay with those wheels, and if you are thinking of a 205/50/17, I would recommend the AVON TechM500. Sticky, good in the rain, and fairly inexpensive. I had them on my SRT-4 after the OE BFG's and they were as good, but quieter.

[Reaper1]

Thanks for the heads up. The only real reason I was going to go with the SRT wheels was due to price and availability. I would LOVE to get some Kosie's or BBS's, SSR's would be sexy. However they all cost money and finding them in the right size with the right offset and lug pattern is kind of a pain. I also have to look at fundage. If I can afford something better, then I might go ahead with it. If not, then I'm kinda stuck.

[MiniMopar]

The best tires I've had were the Pirrelli 700Z's that were on the CSX when I got it. These were on the stock rims, so they were 205/50 R15. Dry performance was excellent and wet performance was good. Even got caught in the snow once and they did OK.

I now have Kumho 712s on it on 6.5" crabs in 225/50 R15 form. They suck on the street. The compound is just too hard I think...I spin them like crazy. They may do better on a track where you can get them good and hot. Wet performance is poor. I also got caught in an early surprise winter storm with these and I thought I was going to die.

The Daytona has 225/50 R15 Dunlop SP 8000's on 6.5" crabs. I have been really happy with these tires. I may get a new set. Nice and sticky in the dry and good wet performance. They did great on the road course on Monday.

[minigts]

If you do decide to go with wheels other than the SRT-4 ones, I would also consider weight an option. Granted, the lighter and larger, the more money. But there seem to be more options out there that aren't too expensive. I spoke with Chris Still about my wheels and other like models, Kosei's I believe, and they seem to be making them in 17x8 and relatively light weight, 15-17lbs per wheel. Not to mention when you take your tires off, it's nice to use one hand to grab the wheel instead of needing two.

I'm sure you will be able to find a light-weight good looking wheel with at least a 7.5 width for a good price. If I come across anything I personally like, I'll post 'em.

[risen]

I've personally been a big fan of Bridgestone Potenzas. I have a set of re750's on the glh-t on 16" pumpers (205/45/16). I like them they take heat nicely, and have been good in the rain.

I had 3 sets of re010's (195/50/15, I believe) on my 01 integra type r since they only last like 20k. They had horrid road noise (which I didn't care about), but I've never had any set of tires stick like that. I used to slalom the cones on the highway when I'd come to construction. They never screached, but you could hear them bite the harder you pushed them. Maybe it was in part due to the car's suspension, but those tires certainly had something to do with it.

[contraption22]

The best tires I've had were the Pirrelli 700Z's that were on the CSX when I got it. These were on the stock rims, so they were 205/50 R15. Dry performance was excellent and wet performance was good. Even got caught in the snow once and they did OK.

They were great tires.. but I don't think they have made them in 10 years or so.

[MiniMopar]

They were great tires.. but I don't think they have made them in 10 years or so.

Nope. It sux. I saw them in TireRack and a year or teo later I went to buy some and they were gone.

Potenzas are really good too, but they are pricey.

[Marcus86GLHS]

i just got back from the Goodyear shop over here as they mounted my new Eagle's on my just-restored Centurions and this guy was showing me that Goodyear now offers the F1 series tires in a 195-50 R15, thats perfect for most of the turbo mopars and it is a killer tire, stock on the Z06.... cant get a better endorsement than the Z06.

[risen]

Potenzas are really good too, but they are pricey.

True. I think tires for my integra were ~700$ for all 4 shipped. The ones on the omni were cheaper. I think ~550 for all 4 shipped. All from tirerack.

I can't even list all the performance cars that run some sort of Potenza as factory equipment. Ferrari, Posrche, Subaru's STi, etc. I believe Acura's NSX came with re010 like my ITR did.

I just looked, the re010s that are still made are now like 210 per tire. Ouch. If my drag radials are really intolerable on the CSX I'll probably be saving my pennies for a set of re01r.

[Reaper1]

I'm eyballing two aftermarket wheels right now. Both are Enkei's.

This one comes in a 16x7 that weighs 14#'s with an offset of 35mm, and also a 17x8(but I don't think I can get it to fit without some major spacers as the offset is the same as the 16x7's!)


This one comes in a 17x7.5, but weighs 17.5#'s with an offset of 35mm:


Tire price doesn't vary much between the sizes. I'd LOVE to get the 8" wide ones on there, but I just don't know how to do it without the big spacers...

[contraption22]

I love the RFP1. It's just an awesome looking wheel.

[Reaper1]

Got any idea what offset I'd need to fit the 8" wide version on our cars? LOL

[minigts]

30 ET, roughly. I know a 32 on 7.5" rims hits the fender edge PERFECTLY on my Charger, so depending on the fender. But usually the .5" isn't too noticeable. The other thing you'll have to acknowledge is that they will more than likely come in only a few offsets, so your choices may already be made for you. But stick to low 30s (sub 35) and you should be good. I'm going off MY experience with 7.5" wide Superior 5 spokes (Cobra style wheel), others may have different experiences.

[cordes]

i just got back from the Goodyear shop over here as they mounted my new Eagle's on my just-restored Centurions and this guy was showing me that Goodyear now offers the F1 series tires in a 195-50 R15, thats perfect for most of the turbo mopars and it is a killer tire, stock on the Z06.... cant get a better endorsement than the Z06.

Oneyears have come on the Corvettes for as long as I can remember. This is much more about money than it is about performance. I have heard that the F1s are nice, but all the previous ones were pretty crappy.

[contraption22]

Every car I have ever had that came with Goodyears on it had them replaced ASAP and became a better car for it.

[GLHNSLHT2]

The best tires I've had were the Pirrelli 700Z's that were on the CSX when I got it. These were on the stock rims, so they were 205/50 R15. Dry performance was excellent and wet performance was good. Even got caught in the snow once and they did OK.


The Daytona has 225/50 R15 Dunlop SP 8000's on 6.5" crabs. I have been really happy with these tires. I may get a new set. Nice and sticky in the dry and good wet performance. They did great on the road course on Monday.

Niether of those tires have been made in 8-10 years. I love the BFG G-force sports i have on my Tona. TONS of grip in the turns and the straights. Cheap too. They come in a 225/50 15 too.

If you ate the inside edge off your tire you need to take out some camber. It'll give you more stick in the corners and not wear the tires out on one egde.

[Reaper1]

^^It wasn't the edge that got hurt, it was the sidewall! I dipped off the course and I beleive the tarmac cut the sidewall when I came back up.

Right now I'm seriously considering the Kumho Ecsta MX's. They are rated right up there with the Bridgestone RE01R's and the Yoko Advans and the BFG KD's, but are rated better in comfort on the road than the KD's(BIG thing for me as I drive it on the highway a LOT and it's noisy enough as it is!). I know the REO1R's are a much better tire, but for the amount of money vs' how much I'll actually use them to the limits they are capable of giving, I can't justify it.

The Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec seems to be a decent tir, but there is hardly any info on it.

I've had the Kumho 711's on these wheels over a year and a half and they've stood up well to being abused at the drag strip, street launches, a pretty good amount of miles on the highway, and now the road course action. Had it not been for the cut tire I probably wouldn't be looking for tires until spring! I'm still not at the wear bars(minus the right rear that got flat spotted twice due to some misscalculated braking)! It's really a shame they disconinued that tire. The other one I really liked was the Yokohama AVS ES100's. They worked VERY well and were pretty popular with the local auto-x guys for a while. That tire has also gone the way of the Dodo.

Anyways, I'm still open for suggestions and opinions, so keep 'em coming!